Hanukkah with the Viper, pt. 5

Though you wouldn’t know this from the scratch track, lead sheet, or cheat sheet, you would know from the recording that I posted on December 21 that the Paint Branch Ramblers pair our Hanukkah original “Heyse Latke Kalte Latke” with another song, one composed by Bill Monroe and called “Jerusalem Ridge.”

Though the pairing seems obvious, in terms of relative keys, modal feel, and subject matter, it should be noted that “Jerusalem Ridge” is actually a 1970s tune based on the family farm in Kentucky where mandolin player and bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe grew up, and the site of an annual bluegrass festival.

Here’s Bill Monroe with violinist Kenny Baker playing “Jerusalem Ridge.” The video starts in media res with the recording and starts with a montage of photos, but halfway through switches to footage of Monroe and Baker actually playing.